Luis Suarez the Hero as Uruguay Beats Ghana on Penalty Kicks

In what was one of the most dramatic endings for a game in World Cup history, Uruguay has pipped Ghana to the semifinals. They barely survived in Soccer City, and it looked as if Ghana were playing in Accra back home.

The game started with Uruguay having a better advantage in the first minutes. But Ghana then took control of the game. Right at the end of the first half, before the whistle, Sulley Muntari was able to break the deadlock with a great long-range shot. He spotted Fernando Muslera, the Uruguayan goal keeper, unaware and caught him completely off-guard, giving Ghana a crucial advantage.

In the second half, Uruguay was trying to chase the game, and in the end was able to do so through Diego Forlan. When Uruguay needed its captain the most, he was able to deliver with brilliance from a well taken free-kick, and he made Ghana goalkeeper Richard Kingson pay for his lack of concentration. The game was back at level pegging.

The game had its moments, but it went to extra time. The Uruguay and Ghana players were running out of fuel, and it seemed that this game was destined for penalty kicks.

However, the Black Stars were close to scoring on many occasions and wasted many easy chances against Uruguay. In the final minute of the game, Ghana almost scored after witnessing some chaos and confusion in the middle of the Uruguayan penalty area.

The Uruguayan defenders were almost punished by the Black Stars, had it not been for the heroics of one man: Luis Suarez.

The ball bounced off the hands of the keeper after a cross and was only three yards away from the goal when Stephen Appiah shot it with his left foot with no goalkeeper there to stop it. But Suarez amazingly saved it with his feet, the ball bounced back to Dominic Adiyiah, and Adiyiah headed it towards the goal past the goalkeeper and almost right into the net.

But Suarez then saved it with both hands, receiving a justified correct red card and giving Ghana the penalty.

In the final minute, Ghana had the chance to win and seal it off and send themselves to the semifinals, making them the first African team in history to get that far. However, Asamoah Gyan missed the free kick, hitting the crossbar, to send Ghana to the penalty shoot-outs in ruins.

And that miss proved decisive, as Uruguay eventually won the game on penalties. But before labelling Muslera as the "man of the match" for Uruguay, the real man of the moment was Luis Suarez.

He took one for the team, and as many commentators stated, "He made two saves that would make any goalkeeper happy." While one man's hero is another man's villain, many people, especially Ghana fans, can talk about Suarez cheating.

So, the question that arises is, "Did he cheat?"

Before any Ghana player, fan, or that of any other country or club responds, they must consider what would've happened had their team been the one facing that situation.

Would they have allowed the ball to get in the back of the net? Or would they have wanted their player to take one for the team?

Suarez didn't exactly cheat—he acknowledged the fact that he cleared it with both hands, and he didn't complain about the red card. While the fans might be pissed off by his happiness, you can't deny the man his joy, as he just saved his country from elimination.

Granted, he did do something that is considered dirty in the world of football, but what player hasn't? Maradona? Rooney? Ronaldo and Messi? Everyone has done something, but Suarez is considered more infamous, seeing how his play occurred under these circumstances.

In the end, Suarez's save at the end of the game proved to be the cusp which led Uruguay to the semifinals for the first time since 1970. At the very least, Suarez is going to be the man of the moment in his home country.